Laurie and I were approached, as leaders, in being part of the 300 vision you had, for those giving to the church building project. We both prayed about what our commitment level should be and really felt like the Lord would have an exact number for us.
We went to the meeting that you had with Bob Hakala and Denis Pahlisch and listened to the vision cast for the project. We both felt a peace about our involvement in the building project as leaders, my involvement in the design committee, and our overall commitment to the growth and success of our church regarding the mission statement.
Laurie and I both prayed and came up with numbers we felt like would stretch our faith, then we asked ourselves what number we thought God would ask us to give that was WAY out of our comfort zone. At the time, our company was experiencing some of the largest numbers we had ever done, so we based our numbers on this success. We came back together when we were supposed to have the concrete numbers we were committing to, and we found both sets of our numbers were EXACT matches. We know that God divinely gave us these gifting numbers, and so we knew this was our commitment level. It came to about 10 times our yearly tithe, and it took a huge step of faith.
Immediately we began hearing of people who were having tremendous breakthroughs financially, where God was providing exceedingly and abundantly, yet we have yet to see this breakthrough. We know we have done everything in OUR power to limit our extracurricular spending, and made as many sacrifices as we can. About a week after we made the commitments, we received news that we would have my son full-time to live with us, something we had prayed for about 7 years. The Lord was delivering breakthrough to us, but not where we expected it. We also were given an opportunity to move into Summers Flooring and Design, yoke up with other members of our church body, and reduce our overhead by over $6,000.00 per month.
All of this to say, we haven't received a huge inheritance, or cash windfall, but we know God is faithful, and he WILL provide a way to fulfill this commitment. I want to encourage other people, who are in similar positions, that God didn't give us numbers to commit to, without also having a plan to provide the means. I have to consistently pray against the doubt that creeps in, and believe that God's plan is better than my plan. I know that we are in the right place, at the right time, for the right reason, and I have to trust that God will take care of the details. We will be praying for the Manna to fall from heaven for EVERYONE that made commitments, and those who are still trying to figure out where they fit, and we ask that you will pray for our company and our household, that as we strive to serve the Lord, we will see the blessings that God have for us, even if its occasionally looking through the rain!